Decorative flooring surfaces

ABSTRACT

A PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF DECORATIVE FLOORING SURFACES WHICH COMPRISES APPLYING TO THE FLOOR TO BE SURFACED A COMPOSITION HAVING AS ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS A HYDRAULIC CEMENT, A FILLER IN THE FORM OF FRAGMENTS OR COARSE PARTICLES, WATER AND AN ORGANIC POLYISOCYANATE, ALLOWING THE COMPOSITION TO HARDEN AND THEN GRINDING OR OTHERWISETREATING THE SURFACE OF THE COMPOSITION TO EXPOSE THE FRAGMENTS OR PARTICLES OF FILLER. THE FILLER MAY BE, FOR EXAMPLE, FRAGMENTS OF PLASTIC MATERIAL, GLASS OR STONE, OR STONE AGREATE. THE COMPOSITIONS SET RAPIDLY AND THE FINAL SURFACE IS VERY DURABLE.

3,778,290 DECORATIVE FLOORING SURFACES Herbert Jackson Shearing, Manchester, England, assignor to Imperial Chemical Industries Limited, Millbank,

may be used in its natural colour or it may be artificially coloured, for example, by the application of a dyestutf or pigment to the surface. Provided that the hardened compositions which are obtained by using these artificially coloured materials are only lightly ground, the surface London, England 5 No Drawing. Filed Mar. 11, 1971, Ser. No. 123 420 coloumg remams essemlally Intact- Claims priority, application G t B it i Man 13: 970 Colourless plastic fragments may also be used as the 13,041/70; Aug. 11, 1970, 38,631/70; Dec. 24, 1970, filler. By fragments or particles we mean those materials 61,323/ 70 having a particle size not less than about 60 BS. sieve Int. Cl. B44c I/22; C04b 7/02 10 size. US. Cl. 117-8 11 Claims The term hydraulic cement is used in its usual sense to denote the class of structural materials which are ap- ABSTRACT OF T DISCLOSURE plied in admixture with water and thereafter harden or set as a result of physical or chemical changes which con- A process for the manufacture of decorative flooring 15 sume the water present A ll s ortland cement, it surfaces which comprises applying to the floor to be surincludes. faced a composition having as essential ingredients a hy- (1) liapid hardening t a characterised by draulic cement, a filler in the form of fragments or coarse those with high alumina contents particles, water and an organic polyisocyanate, allowing (2) Low heat cmacterised by high percent. the chmposmoh to harden and then ghihdihg or otherwise ages of dicalcium silicate and tetracalcium alumino fertreahhg the Surface of the composition to expose the rite and low percentages of tricalcium silicate and tricalfragments or particles of filler. The filler may be, for excium aluminate ample, fragments of plastic material, glass or stone, or (3) Sulphate resisting cements as characterised by um stone aggregate. The compositions set rapidly and the final usually high Percentages of tricalcium Silicate and dicalsurface Is very durable cium silicate and unusually low percentages of tricalcium aluminate and tetpa cglcium alumino ferrite.

This invention relates to fioring compositions, more 4 Portland blast'mmt as characteflscdlby particularly to a process for the manufacture of cement/ a mlxture of Portland lament clmker granulated S thane-based flooring composition h i a decorative (5) Masonry cements as characterised by mixtures 0 effect, and is an improvement in or modification of the Portland cement and one more of the iollowmgi yin ention described in o UK, ifi i N0 drated lime, granulated slag, pulverised lime, colloidal 1,192,864. I clay, diatomaceous earth.or other finely divided forms of Said U.K. specification N 1,192,3 4 describes and silica, calcium stearate and parafiin, Claims compositions having as essential ingredients a (6) Natural cements as characterised by mategial obdraulic cement, a silica filler, water and an organic com- 3 11123232 :5 a gi t e gzgg gyog-g 6f Ca1- ound containin lurali 1 1W a e nowgfoampd thatty)filsrispgyaalpitgngoggi o rgreg irflra 13113; gogrrriizl nd whether Containing si ica or otherwise) which is in the form of fra ments or h S or coarse particles in the above-mentioned compo sitions 40 (8) selehltlc Cement as characlterized by the addition and, after spreading the composition and allowing it to of 540% of Phaster of Pans g i d b the mixture harden, grinding or otherwise treating the surface of the (9) Pozzolamc cimeht as c cnsef y t I th composition to expose the fragments or particles of filler, of 1 1 2 3 "a x'i t tf igilr li lggirtige, tu a, san orin ear then a terrazzo-like decorative effect is obtained. or gram a S According to the present invention there is provided a th fs e l e zilgg n (ig pt t li h 3323 2: gg l zgggg s fighzgz process for the manufacture of decorative flooring sur- P g d P i n faces which comprises applying to h fl to be sub I and lntcludes plaster of Paris, Keenes cement an ar a faced a composition having as essential ingredients a h came draulic cement, a filler in the form of fragments or coar e G decorahve sh ohtalgeddby E g particles, water and an organic polyisocyanate, allowing 5O Whte h cement W a Pot ah cemeh av g the said composition to harden and then grinding or otha low h hh t h be used there telgwifse treatitng the surflace (i ffillillfl composition to expose miss ge gi l gtggllisotiyzpeanzs yarlrligty and diijhenyl e ra mens 0 artice o Th ill 5 in 3 formif mass pigmemed p1as methane diisocyanate, including the diphenylmetha ne d1- i i 1555i iiiiii iiliitimiii iii'ien iiiiglhe imii ii $1525: ggish g 3 35 ;gigsmg? ggzz gggggf amino diphenylmethane which is prepared by condensing mars i /f ld h d polymers phenol/formalde formaldehyde and aniline in the presence of hydrochloric hyde polymers, melamine/formaldehyde polymers, aceacid but pahticulhfly valpablei results can h by tal polymers and copolymers, acrylic polymers and co- 6O ggis f g igf 22 111 5232; :1" cycloahphatlc P 37 polymers, acrylonitrile/buta 1 styrene terpolymers, Z

terephthalates,lpolystyrenes, polyurethanes, polyethylenes gaz pg y y diisocyinates hexametgylene and i g gg ggi plastic may be in the form of 2,2,4- and 2,4,4-trimethyl hexamethylene diisocyanates, d l h 1 dicyclohexyl methane dnsocyanates, 3-1socyanatomethyl- 0 tummgs t e p astlc h 3,5,5-trimethylcyclohexyl isocyanate and xylylene diisoresulting from the trimming of in ection moulded articles cyanate; also the reaction products of an excess of any or from other mohldmg Processes" of the above diisocyanates with polyfnnctional isocyanate Other fillers which may be used mclude materials sereactive compounds, e.g. glycols, higher polyhydric alcolected from glass and stone fragments and stone g er0 hols, aminoalcohols or polyamines, hydroxyl-ended polygate. The glass fragments may be colourless or coloured. The stone, either in the form of fragments or aggregate,

esters, polyester-amides or polyethers, or with water, (whereby polyisocyanate biurets are formed); also uretedione or isocyanurate polymers of the above-mentioned polyiso'cyanates.

Although the polyisocyanate may be used in the absence of any other isocyanate-reactive compound except the water which is an essential ingredient of the compositions used in the process of the invention, it is preferred to add also an isocyanate-reactive organic compound to the compositions, as shrinkage on setting of the compositions is thereby reduced. As examples of the isocyanate-reactive organic compound which may be used there may be mentioned polyhydric alcohols, aminoalcohols, polyamines, hydroxyl-ended polyesters and polyesteramides and drying oil and non-drying oil modified alkyd resins, but it is preferred to use a dihydric or trihydric polyether having an equivalent weight of from 100 to 1500 or the products obtained by high temperature reaction between castor oil and hard resins, defined as products which are obtained by heating castor oil with a resin which is a rosinate of a metal selected from Group Ila of the Periodic Table or a condensation product of rosin with (i) at least one polyhydric alcohol, or

(ii) at least one polyhydric alcohol and at least one optionally substituted phenol/formaldehyde resol resin, or

(iii) at least one polyhydric alcohol and at least one :,[3-

unsaturated dicarboxylic acid or the anhydride thereof.

By Periodic Table is meant the long form of the table as described in for example, page 30 of Advanced Inorganic Chemistry by F. A. Cotton and G. Wilkinson, published in 1962 by Interscience Publishers. As examples of rosinates of metals selected from Group 11a of the Periodic Table which may be reacted with castor oil there may be mentioned calcium rosinate and barium rosinate.

As examples of polyhydric alcohols which may be condensed with rosin, either alone or together with an optionally substituted phenol/formaldehyde resol resin or an c n-unsaturated dicarboxylic acid or the anhydride thereof, there may be mentioned glycerol, pentaerythritol, trimethylolpropane and sorbitol.

By resol resins we mean the alkaline catalysed reaction products of one mole of a phenol with at least one mole of formaldehyde. The most commonly used and preferred phenol for use in the preparation of resol resins is phenol itself, but other phenols and alkyl substituted phenols, for example, p-butylphenol, p-octylphenol and p-alkyl substituted phenols generally may also be used.

As examples of a,fi-unsaturated dicarboxylic acids and anhydrides thereof which may be condensed with rosin together with a polyhydric alcohol as defined above there may be mentioned maleic acid, fumaric acid and maleic anhydride.

The reaction of the castor oil with the resin as defined above is carried out at a high temperature for example, at 235240 C. for a time of from /2 to 2 hours.

The castor oil and resin may be used in the proportion of from 99:1 to 1:99 parts by weight, the preferred range being from 95:5 to 20:80 parts by weight.

The compositions which are used in the present process may also contain pigments. By a suitable choice of colours between the pigments and the filler, the surface grinding operation reveals the latter embedded in a matrix of contrasting colour. In this way, a multitude of different colour combinations is possible. More than one colour of filler may be used in a single composition.

Although in most instances the bulk of the filler used in the compositions normally consists of materials in the form of fragments or coarse particles, there may also be included amounts of fine sand many of the fine particlesize fillers mentioned in our copending application No. 13,040/70 with much smaller amounts of fragmentary or coarsely particulate filler in order to produce different fillers or sand should not exceed 50 times the weight of fragmentary or coarsely particulate filler which is used in the composition, and preferably does not exceed 25 times this weight.

The compositions may also contain as described in our copending application No. 13,038/70, when the cement/urethane matrix in which the filler is embedded has a very dark colour. By using brightly-coloured filler in such a matrix, very striking effects can be obtained.

Solvents and thinners may also be used in making up the compositions which are used in the process, in order to assist in incorporating ingredients which may be too viscous to use easily as they are, to improve compatability between components of the mixture or to render the compositions of the requisite viscosity to be self-levelling or to be spread easily by means of a trowel or other applicator.

Such solvents must be inert to isocyanate group and to the other components of the composition and include esters, ketones and hydrocarbons. Specific solvents which may be used include methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, 4-methyl-4-methoxypentan-2-one, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, ethoxyethyl acetate, cyclohexanone, toluene and xylene.

The proportions of the different ingredients used in making up the compositions may be varied widely. Thus per parts by weight of cement there may be used from 5 to 900 parts by weight of the filler, from 10 to 75 parts by weight of water, from 5 to 5000 parts by weight of resin-forming components, defined as organic polyisocyanate plus organic polyfunctional isocyanatereactive compounds and from 0 to 200 parts by weight of solvents. Preferred quantities are from l0600 parts of filler, 20-50 parts of water, 10-4000 parts of urethane resin and 0-100 parts of solvent, although it has been found that as little as 1 part of water per 100 parts of the hydraulic cement may be used in making up the said composition. Generally, from 3 to 50 parts of water per 100 parts of cement may be used. By reducing the amount of water in the compositions there is less shrinkage when the compoitions cure and harden.

After the composition has been applied to a surface it must be allowed to harden sufiiciently for surfacegrinding to be carried out, although it is not essential to wait until curing is complete. It is convenient to allow the composition to harden overnight. The rather rough surface then obtained is ground fiat and smooth using similar techniques to those employed for grinding and finishing conventional terrazzo floors. Although intended primarily for flooring applications, the compositions may also be applied to curved or inclined surfaces provided that the compositions are sufiiciently viscous to remain on such surfaces while hardening proceeds. The process of the invention may also be used to manufacture decorative tiles, either by casting and surfacing individual tiles or by cutting up a large area of hardened composition into tile-sized pieces.

After the surface of the composition has been ground to expose the filler, there may be applied to the ground surface one or more coats of a urethane surface-coating composition, which may be of the one-pack or two-pack yp The compositions may be applied to the surface to be coated in any desired thickness, but will normally not be less than A; inch thick.

The invention is illustrated but not limited by the following examples in which parts and percentages are by weight.

EXAMPLE 1 100 parts of portland cement, 20 parts of an oxypropylated glycerol having a molecular weight of approximately 1000, 8 parts of an oxypropylated triethanolamine having a molecular weight of approximately 320, 30 parts of a triple roll mill base consisting of 20 parts of titanium dioxide and 10 parts of a polyester resin (prepared from hexanetriol, 1,3-butanediol and adipic acid and having a hydroxyl value of approximately 160 mg. KOI-I/g.), 25 parts of water and 136 parts of mixed red and blue mass pigmented nylon 6,6 polymer chips (approximately A inch (0.635 cm.) diameter) are all mixed together and when an even mixture has been obtained 100 parts of a 70% solution of a polyisocyanate (obtained as described below) are added with further mixing until evenly dispersed. The fiuid mixture is then poured out and spread into a layer /2 inch (1.27 cm.) thick, when it sets rapidly to a stage where it is firm enough to walk on in l-l /z hours.

After allowing the composition to cure overnight it is ground flat and smooth using mechanical grinding equipment of the type which is normally used in the making of conventional terrazzo floors. The grinding process exposes the coloured plastic chips which are embedded in the contrasting coloured base material, thereby producing a decorative effect.

The polyisocyanate solution which is used in this example is obtained by heating a mixture of tolylene diisocyanate (1 mole), trimethylolpropane (0.197 mole) and butylene glycol (1.159 mole) for 2 hours at 60 C. in the presence of half their combined weight of a 1:1 mixture of B-ethoxyethyl acetate and xylene. 0.029 mole of an oxypropylated glycerol of molecular weight 3000 is added and heating is continued for 4 hours at 60 C. Sufiicient xylene is then added to give a solution having a 70% solids content.

EXAMPLE 2 100 parts of portland cement, 13 parts of an oxypropylated glycerol having a molecular weight of approximately 1,000, 8 parts of an oxypropylated glycerol having a molecular weight of approximately 320, 21 parts of a triple roll mill base consisting of 14 parts of titanium dioxide and 7 parts of a polyester resin (prepared from hexanetriol, 1,3-butane diol and adipic acid and having a hydroxyl value of approximately 160 mgm. KOH/g.) 25 parts of water and 0.5 part of a 10% solution of dibutyl tin dilaurate in xylene and 50 parts of mass pigmented nylon 6.6 polymer chips (approximately inch (0.635 cm. diameter) are all mixed together and when an even mixture has been obtained 70 parts of a 75% solution in ethyl glycol acetate/xylene (1:1) of a reaction product of hexamethylene diisocyanate, trimethylolpropane and 1,3-butane diol having an isocyanate content of about 12% are added with further mixing until evenly dispersed. The fluid mixture is then poured out and spread into a layer inch (1.27 cm.) thick when it sets to a stage where it is firm enough to walk on in approximately 6 hours.

After allowing the composition to cure overnight it is ground flat and smooth using grinding equipment of the type which is normally used in the making of conventional terrazzo floors. The grinding process exposes the coloured polymer chips which are embedded in the contrasting coloured base material thereby producing a decorative effect.

The surface may then be left as it is or sealed with one, two or three coats of a oneor a two-pack urethane lacquer as desired.

EXAMPLE 3 The procedure describedin Example 2 is repeated using 28 parts of 3-isocyanato-methyl-3,5,5-trimethylcyclohexyl-isocyanate in place of the 70 parts of the hexamethylene diisocyanate trimethylolpropane, 1,3 butane diol reaction product when a liquid mix is obtained which sets firm enough to walk on in approximately 10 hours.

EXAMPLE 4 100 parts of white portland cement, 13 parts of an oxypropylated glycerol having a molecular weight of approximately 1000, 8 parts of an oxypropylated glycerol having a molecular weight of approximately 320, 21 parts of a triple roll mill base consisting of 14 parts of titanium dioxide and 7 parts ofa polyester resin (prepared from hexanetriol, 1,3-butane diol and adipic acid and having a hydroxyl value of approximately 160 mgm. KOH/ g.) 25 parts of water, 0.5 parts of a 10% solution of dibutyl tin dilaurate in xylene and 150 parts of marble chips of approximately A inch (0.635 cm.) diameter are all mixed together and when an even mixture has been obtained 28 parts of 3-isocyanatomethyl-3,5,5-trimethylcyclohexyl isocyanate are added with further mixing until evenly dispersed.

The fluid mixture is then poured out and spread into a layer V2 inch (1.27 cm.) thick when it sets to a stage where it is firm enough to walk on in approximately 10 hours.

After allowing the composition to cure overnight it is ground flat and smooth using grinding equipment of the type which is normally used in the making of conven; tional terrazzo floors. The grinding process exposes the marble chips which are embedded in the contrasting base material thereby producing a decorative efiect.

The surface may then be left as it is or sealed with one, two or three coats of a one or two pack urethane lacquer as desired.

EXAMPLE 5 150 parts of white portland cement, 50 parts of castor oil hard resin reaction product (obtained as described below), 30 parts of water, 0.3 part of dibutyl tin dilaurate and 500 parts of a graded coloured glass and stone aggregate mixture with particle sizes of 200 8.8. sieve (0.0076 cm.) up to inch (0.16 cm.) are mixed together, 40 parts of 3-isocyanatomethyl-3,5,5-trimethylcyclohexyl isocyanate are then added and mixed in until evenly dispersed. On spreading out the composition into a layer /2 inch 1.27 cm.) thick, it hardens and is capable of taking foot traffic after approximately 10 hours. The surface is ground smooth after 24 hours and sealed with a one or two pack urethane lacquer if desired.

The castor oil/hard resin reaction product using in this example is prepared by the following method:

320 parts of 1st pressing castor oil are heated together with parts of an esterified rosin-modified phenol formaldehyde resol resin at 240 C. for 45 minutes. The latter ingredient is the glycerol ester of the product from the reaction between rosin and a diphenylolpropane-formaldehyde resol resin.

EXAMPLE 6 150 parts of white portland cement, parts of an oxypropylated glycerol having a hydroxyl value of approximately 55 mg. KOH/g., 10 parts of an oxypropylated glycerol having a hydroxy value of approximately 540 mg. KOH/g. 30 parts of water, parts of mass-pigmented 6,6 nylon polymer chips (approximately A inch (0.635 cm.) in diameter), 400 parts of a graded coloured glass and stone aggregate mixture with particle sizes of 200 ES. sieve (0.0076 em.) up to 5 inch (0.16 cm.) and 0.3 part of dibutyl tin dilaurate are mixed together until an even mixture has been obtained. 50 parts of 3-isocyanatomethyl-3,5,S-trimethylcyclohexyl isocyanate are then added and when this component has been evenly dispersed the composition is spread into a layer A inch (1.27 cm.) thick, when it sets to a stage where it is hard enough to take foot traflic after approximately 12 hours. After 24 hours the surface is ground smooth and, if desired, sealed with a one or two pack urethane lacquer.

EXAMPLE 7 The procedure described in Example 4 is repeated, except that the 100 parts of white portland cement arereplaced by 100 parts of ordinary portland cement, and the 28 parts of 3-isocyanatomethyl-3,5,5-trimethylcyclohexyl isocyanate are replaced by 70 parts of a 75% solution in ethyl glycol acetate/xylene (1:1) of a reaction product of a mixture of 2,2,4 and 2,4,4'trimethylhexamethylene diisocyanates, triznethylol-propane and 1,3-butane diol having an isocyanate content of approximately 11%. The composition so obtained, when spread out into a layer /2 inch (1.27 cm.) thick, sets to provide a surface which is firm enough to walk on after 8 to 9 hours.

What I claim is: a

1. A process for the manufacture of decorative flooring surfaces which comprises applying to the floor to be surface a composition having as essential ingredients a hydraulic cement, a filler in the form of fragments or coarse particles comprising a polymeric material selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyethylene terephthalate, olyurethanes, urea/formaldehyde polymers, phenol/fdEmaldEhTle' polymers and melamine/formaldehyde polymers, water and an organic polysocyanate, allowing the composition to harden and when grinding the surface of the composition to expose the fragments or particles of filler.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hydraulic cement is selected from the group consisting of portland cement, rapid hardening cements, low-heat cements, sulphate-resisting cements, portland blast-furnace cement, masonry cements, natural cements, lime cements, selenitic cement, Pozzolanic cement and calcium sulphate cements.

3. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the composition contains in addition an isocyanate-reactive organic compound.

4. A process as claimed in claim 3 wherein the isocyanate-reactive organic compound is a dihydric or trihydric polyethcr having an equivalent weight of from 100 to 1500.

5. A process as claimed in claim 3 wherein the isocyanate-reactive organic compound is the reaction product of castor oil with a hard resin which is a rosinate of a metal selected from Group 11a of the Periodic Table or a condensation product of rosin with (i) at least one polyhydric alcohol, or

(ii) at least one polyhydric alcohol and at least, or one optionally substituted phenol/formaldehyde resol resm (iii) at least one polyhydric alcohol and at least one a,,6-unsaturated dicarboxylic acid or the anhydride thereof.

6. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the composition contains in addition pigments, sand, fine particle-size fillers or bitumen.

7. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the composition also contains a solvent which is inert towards isocyanate groups.

8. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein as filler there are used fragments of mass-pigmented plastic materials.

9. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the organic polyisocyanate is an aliphatic, araliphatic or cycloaliphatic polyisocyanate.

10. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the composition comprises, per 100 parts by weight of cement, from 5 to 900 parts by weight of the filler, from 10 to parts by weight of water, from 5 to 5000 parts by weight of resin-forming components, comprising the polyisocyanate and organic isocyanate-reactive compound and from 0 to 200 parts by weight of solvent.

11. A process as claimed in claim 10 wherein the composition comprises portland cement, pigmented nylon chips as the filler, water and a polyisocyanate which is the reaction product of tolylene diisocyanate or hexamethylene diisocyanate, trimethylol propane and butylene glycol.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,491,487 12/1949 Faulwetter 106-90 2,902,388 9/1959 SZukiewicz 106-9O 3,155,529 11/1964 Paturzo l178 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,008,417 l/197O France 1069O 1,992,864 5/1970 Great Britain 10690 ALFRED L. LEAVITT, Primary Examiner M. F. ESPOSITO, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

l0690, 97; 117-26, 64 R, 161 KP, 168 

